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Pau Gasol played 25 minutes off the bench on Monday against the Bulls, scoring 15 points with 12 boards, two assists and two blocks.

Six of his attempts came from at least 17 feet from the basket, so he wasn't playing a stereotypical center role, like Mike D'Antoni suggested. "It's better for us right now to do this and have this identity and try to work through it and see what we can do," D'Antoni said before the game. "Things do change and things do happen. I don't know. I can't see the future. But, we're ready to go forward like this." This is a complete mess, but so far Gasol has been able to produce in his new role and he should remain in all lineups.

Josh Richardson (ankle) will not play Friday vs. the Cavs, but "might" play Saturday in Chicago.

Richardson re-joined the team on Friday in the middle of their road trip, so there was some hope he would suit up in Cleveland. However, Coach Spo told reporters that Richardson won't return to the lineup for Friday's contest. Nonetheless, the fact that Richardson flew out to join the team is obviously a positive sign. Spo said J-Rich might play Saturday. Check back for an update.

Josh Richardson (ankle, wrist) rejoined the Heat in time for Friday morning's shootaround prior to Friday night's game against the Cavaliers.

It would seem this puts Richardson on track to play Friday night; however, we are still awaiting official word from the team. Richardson has missed four straight games. The Heat remain without Luke Babbitt (hip), Justise Winslow (wrist), James Johnson (rotator cuff) and Dion Waiters (groin), who are all still in Miami rehabbing.

Channing Frye has been excused from the team for personal reasons and will miss Friday's game vs. the Heat and Saturday's game vs. the Hornets.

Frye has had to endure an extremely difficult couple of months, as he lost both his mother and father. Kevin Love (back spasms) was surprisingly listed as listed as questionable for Friday night. If Love can't play, the Cavs will be extremely shorthanded at power forward. As a result, Tristan Thompson would likely play more minutes than usual. Richard Jefferson, Mike Dunleavy and possibly Chris Anderson could all see extended action as well.

Smith missed Wednesday's matchup with the Knicks after hyperextending his left knee on Monday. DeAndre Liggins made his first career start in place of Smith vs. the Knicks and played 20 minutes. Iman Shumpert came off the bench and played 24 minutes. It is safe to assume a similar distribution of minutes on Friday if Smith doesn't suit up.

This is the first we are hearing of a back issue for Love, or any injury for that matter this season. He has been enjoying a terrific start to the 2016-17 campaign, averaging 21.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.7 treys. Stay tuned for an update, as we should soon find out if this is a serious issue. Channing Frye (personal) has already been ruled out of both Friday and Saturday's game, so the Cavs will have a big hole at power forward if Love can't play.

Numerous outlets are reporting that the Rockets and Donatas Motiejunas' have agreed to a new deal.

It appears the drama is finally over. Motiejunas' deal with the Rockets is worth $31 million if hits no bonuses, $35 million if hits all likely bonuses and $37 million if hits every possible bonus. From a fantasy perspective, the implications aren't all that significant. Motiejunas will only likely see limited minutes in Houston, especially initially as he works his way back into game shape.

D'Angelo Russell (knee) participated in the non-contact portions of Thursday’s practice and said he "feels great."

Russell will not play Friday vs. the Suns, but is making progress. "I mean, I feel good," Russell said on Thursday. "I waited so long to get back on the court until I was 100%. I feel great. Just about, I don’t know, knocking the dust off before I get in the game, so try to get it out now, knock the rust off while I’m out here now." Russell had a platelet-rich plasma injection on Nov. 23 to help the soreness in his left knee. The Lakers said he would be sidelined for at least two weeks. He did off-court rehab work until Tuesday, when a doctor examined him and agreed he was ready for on-court work.

Marc Gasol (groin) scored a season-high 36 points during an 88-86 win over the Blazers on Thursday, adding nine rebounds, two assists and four 3-pointers in 34 minutes.

What right groin injury? He popped up on the injury report today, but looked totally fine. The Grizzlies are on a five-game winning streak and Gasol is the heavy favorite for Western Conference Player of the Week. In his three wins so far, Gasol has averaged 30.0 points, 10.7 boards, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.3 blocks and 2.3 treys on 50 percent from the field. Big Spain has been a top-five player for standard leagues over his last 10 and is making a great case for the All-Star team.

JaMychal Green grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds against the Blazers on Thursday, scoring six points with two assists and one steal in 34 minutes.

He is cleaning up on the glass these days and it certainly helped against the Blazers. Plus, Green was credited with two extra boards back on Dec. 5, so that puts him at 14.5 boards per game over his last four. On the downside, he is not shooting the ball well over his last three, making just 6-of-24 (25 percent) in the span. Still, Green shouldn't be affected with the return of Zach Randolph, so keep him rolling in all leagues.

Joe Ingles came off the bench for the banged up Jazz on Thursday and hit 7-of-13 shots, 5-of-9 3-pointers and 2-of-3 free throws for a season-high 21 points, five rebounds, three assists, four steals and a block.

Rodney Hood (hamstring) and Gordon Hayward (finger) joined George Hill (toe) in street clothes, and Ingles took advantage, just missing his career high by one point in a season-high 35 minutes. If those three are out again on Saturday, Ingles, and not Joe Johnson, looks like the way to go in fantasy. Just keep in mind that he hadn't scored more than eight points in each of his previous three games, so the key to Ingles' success is the absence of Hayward. Make sure Hayward is out before deploying Ingles.